Harvester-gearing



(No Model.) 3 SheetsShee1L 1. A. STARK. HARVESTER GBARING.

Patented June 14, 1892.

UNETED STATES PATENT Orrrcs.

ANDREIV STARK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THE \VARDER, BUSHNELL dz GLESSNER COMPANY, OF SPRINGFIELD, OI'IIO.

HARVESTER-GEARING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 477,077, dated June 14, 1892. Application filed August 27,1891. Serial No. 403,909. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern; making, with the portion of said sills inter- Be it known that I, ANDREW STARK, a citi-' cepted between them, a four-square frame, zen of the United Statearesiding at Chicago, which encompasses the wheel, and may be county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have inhereinafter referred to as the wheel-frame.

vented certain new and useful Improvements The stubbleward bar B of these fore-and-at't in IIarvester-Gearing,which are fully set forth bars does not cross the front and rear sills, in the following specification, reference being but is bent at right angles where it meets had to the accompanying drawings, forming a those sills and secured by bolting through the pa t t G BOf. laterally-bent portions at the ends, respect- IO In the drawings, Figurel isa plan of a porively, as seen in Fig. 1. The grainward bar tion of the main frame of a harvester, com- B is similarly formed at the rear end and prising the drive-wheel and its immediate bolted to the rear sill A but at the forward frame and themain driving-train of the sickle end it extends across the sill A above the crank-shaft, all upwardly-extendiug portions latter and is made rigid with said sill at the I5 of the frame above the main frame and all point of crossing byironcasting or forging b, mechanism pertaining thereto being omitted. which is bolted to the forward side of the sill Fig. 2 is a stubbleside elevation of the same. A and has a vertical notch, which receives Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the gearingthe bar B edgewise,said bar being rigidly train axial with respect to the main powersecured to the block in said notch.

2o communicating shaft and sickle crank-shaft. D and D are standards, which are bolted Fig. 4 is a grain-side elevation of the driveto bars B and B respect-ively, and afford wheel raising and lowering mechanism and bearings for the drive-wheel crank axle C,

the chain connection from the drive-wheel to the wrists O O of said crank-axle being the power-receiving wheel 011 the power-com: journaled in said standards and the frame be- 2 5 municating shaft, the grain ward fore-and-aft ing raised and lowered by rocking the axle in bar of the wheel-frame and its braces and the the hub of the wheel to carry the wrists, and bearing of the drive-wheel crank-axle being therebythestandards and frame, up and down. broken away. i Fig. 5 is a section at the line The standard D is secured to the bar B by 5 5 on Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a perspective of the the same bolt-s which fasten the oblique braces 30 casting which unites the main frame and the E E to thebar B, said braces extending 8ograinward fore-andaft bar. grainward from said fastening, the former ob- One feature of this invention relates to the liquely forward to the sill A and the latter construction of the main frameor frame in obliquely rearward to the sill A Saidbraccs which the drive-wheel crank-axle obtains E and E may be made of a single bat bent 35 bearings and which constitutes what may be at the properangles. The front and rear platcalled the wheel-frame. This construction form-sills F and F the former being the finwill now be described. ger-bar, are bolted to the grainward ends of The main frame comprises the iron bar A the sills A and A respectively, by the same A A which is set edgewise vertically and bolts which secure the ends of the braces E 40 bent at right angles at the front and rear and E to said sills. The grainward ends of stubbleward corners, making a frame which said front and rear sills E and E are bent extends around three sides of thedrive-whoel, downward after passing the bar B, so that being open at the grainward side. The front the braces E and E are oblique vertically as and rear portions A and A of this frame will well as horizontally.

45 be referred to as the front and rear sills G is the tongue, which is pivoted to the for- 5 of the main frame. ward end of the bar B forward of the front B and B are fore-and-aft iron bars, which sill A. From the construction of the frame extend on opposite sides of the drive-wheel C, as thus far described it will be observed that being bolted rigidly at their front and rear the draft strain communicated from the 50 ends to the front and rear sills A and A tongue has no tendency whatever to distort I00 the frame,-because, the tongue being at the forward end of the directly fore-and-aft bar B and said bar being connected to both front and rear sills, the draft strain is applied equally to both sills, and, said bar B having one bearing of the crank-axle of the drivewheel, the draft strain is by it applied as directly as possible to said crank-axle. This construction makes a frame which is practically rigid with the minimum amountof bracing; also, since the platform-sills are braced directly to said bar B on which the draft is applied, said draft strain is transmitted to the platform-frame in the most direct manner possible and the tendency to distortion of that frame in draft is made theleast possible.

The raising and lowering of the frame on the drive-wheel is accomplished in a manner which in general is familiar, to wit: The

stnbbleward crankarm O of the drive-wheel crank has secured to it the lever-arm C which extends downward and has pivoted to it at its lower end the screw-block C through which the shaft 0" is screwed, said shaft having a bearing in the bracket G which depends from the 1"earsillA ,and being squared rearward of said bracket to receive a key, by

which it may be rotated, and thereby move the lower end of the lever-arm C backward or forward, so rocking the crank-shaft on its wrists in the bearings afforded by the standards D and D There is combined with this raising and lowering mechanism a device for automatically compensating for the change in distance between the main power-wheel C on the drive wheel and the power receiving wheel G on the axle or shaft 9 to take up and let out the slack of the chain, as is made necessary by this changing distance. This de, vice is located in connection with the grainward crank-arm of the crank-axle. This cran k arm C is preferably made in an independent piece from the crank-axle, being different in this respect from the outer crank-arm, which is forged integrally with the axle. The crank-arm C" is arranged to beclamped onto the axle, as seen in Fig. 4, and has the crankwrist C pinned fast into it and is extended rearward beyond said crank-wrist, and to said extension C, at its rear end, there is pivoted the link C To the bar B there is pivoted at c a bell-crank lever 0 0 the arm 0 being pivoted to the link C and the arm 0 carrying the slack-pulley G which extends underneath the lower ply of the chain c The position and dimensions of the several parts are such that. when the crank-axle, its crank-wrist, and the shaft 9 are in one line that is, when the distance between the wrist and drive-wheels is. greatest and the slack of the chain leastthe pivot c of the link C to the arm 0 is in the same line. Now as the crank-axle is rocked either way from that position the pivot 0, being carried out of line with the other axes, will tend to draw the link C toward the vertical plane of the drive wheel axle, and thereby rockthe lever c c in direction to cause its lower arm 0 to lift the slackpulley and take up the slack of the chain. I provide a number of pivot-holes in end of the link G at any one of which the arm C of the bell-crank lever may be pivoted, the adjustment from one hole to the other being designed to compensate for the wear of the chain; but at whatever hole the pivoting may be made the automatic compensatory action described will be produced, so that either raising or lowering the frame from the intermediate position shown in Fig. 4, which would slack the chain, will move the bell-crank lever in a direction to cause its slack-pulley to take up the slack.

The shaft g is an axle or fixed bearing for the main communicating power-train or combination of wheels j ournaled on said axle,for said shaft is rigid with the main frame, the construction being as follows:

K isa malleable-iron corner-bracket, which is secured in the corner formed between the fore-and-aft bar B and the portion of the rear sill A which extends stubbleward beyond said fore-and-aft bar. This bracket is formed with suitable lugs K K K through which bolts are passed to secure it to the two bars B and A respectively.

L is a bracket, which is bolted to the bar B and has a hub or annular boss L, through which the shaft or axle 9 extends, and on the grainward side, just below the aperture for said axle, it has the horizontal flange L In the line with the bearing thus formed for the shaft g in the bracket L the bracket K is horizontally pierced and the aperture threaded, and the shaft g, which is threaded at the stubbleward end, is thereby adapted to be insorted stubbleward from the grainward side through the bracket L and screwed into the bracket K. At proper time of assembling the parts this is performed, and the shaft is prevented from becoming detached by unscrewing from the bracket K by means of the linchpin Z, which is inserted through the shaft g grainward from its bearing in the bracket L, the flange L of the bracket being encountered by said linchpinif the shaft turns and so preventing it from becoming unscrewed; but before theshaft is thus put into place the powercommunicating parts, of which it is the support and bearing, must be introduced. These consist of the sprocket-wheel G, the beveled gear-wheel H, the sleeve J, and the clutch-operating spring I. The beveled gear-wheel H has a long sleeve H, which is reduced in diameter to form a shoulder 71,, which constitutes the stop for one end of the spring I, which is coiled above the sleeve. The clutchsleeve J has its smaller portion adapted to slip onto the smaller end of the sleeve H, a feathered connection being made between the two, (which will hereinafter be described in detail,) so that they rotate together, though the clutch-sleeve can slide longitudinally upon the sleeve H.

j is a stop-collar pinned onto the shaftg at the stubbleward end of the sleeve H, said collar being of such diameter that the clutchsleeve can be slipped over it onto the sleeve H. The clutch-sleeve J is enlarged at its grainward end to form a hood or cap J to inclose the clutch-teeth, one set of said teeth being formed in said cap-that is, at the grainward end of the smaller portion of the sleeveand the other set being formed at thestubble ward end of the hub of the wheel G. The cap .l' extends 'stubbleward far enough to cover the clutch teeth on the hub of the wheel G when the members of the clutch are far? thest apart, and at its stubbleward end said clutch-sleeve has the flange J which is adapted to receive the pressure of the lever M, which is pivoted on the rear sill A and oper; ated by any convenient connection made by the rod M to shift the clutch against the pressure of the spring I, which, being stopped atits stubbleward end, as described, by the shoulder h of the sleeve H, reacts at its grainward end against the stubbleward end of the cl utch-sleeve J, tending thereby to force the clutch-teeth of said sleeve into engagement with the o1.ipositelyfacin g clutch-teeth of the wheel G. i

The feathered connection of the clutchsleeve J with the sleeve ll of the wheel H is seen in Fig. 5 and is made as will now be described for cheapness and ease of assembling. The sleeve H is cast with two right-angular longitudinal notches 71 diametrically opposite, one face of the notch being radial with respect to the axis of the sleeve, said radial faces facing in the same circumferential direction. The sleeve J at its smaller part is provided with two corresponding right-angular ribs jj. Both parts maybe east with sufficent accuracy in the form described and the radial shoulders or faces of the notches and projections respectively engaging in the direction of rotation of the parts when in operation, making a positive driving connection which is almost absolutely free from liability to break in use, and at the same time the clutch-sleeve has a free longitudinal sliding movement on the sleeve of the gear-wheel.

N is a fore-and-aft horizontal shaft. It is journaled at its forward end in a suitable bearing provided on the front sill A, and its rear end passes through the malleable-iron bracket K, immediately above the rear sill A The rear bearing for this shaft is not obtained directly in the malleable-iron bracket, but in a cast sleeve N, which is inserted through an opening provided for it in the bracket K, and which fits loosely in said opening, but is prevented from turning therein by the notch 7a in the bracket and the tooth n of the sleeve, as seen in Fig. l. The comparatively loose connection of the sleeve on the bracket K permits the sleeve to adjust itself to the shaft N, so that it never binds in said bearing. On the shaft N immediately forword of the sleeve N, the beveled pinion N is pinned fast and is adapted to mesh with the beveled gear II, whereby said beveled gear communicates motion to the pinion and to the shaft N. The shaft N carries at its forward end the sickle-driving crank-wheel 0. Intermediate its bearings it carries the sprocket-wheel P for the purpose of driving the binder, and rearward of its sleeve-bearing N it may carry the sprocket-wheel Q for the purpose of driving the platform conveyer and elevator or other mechanism which the harvester-frame may support. Said shaft N is therefore the main power distributing shaft-that is, the shaft from which power is distributed to the various mechanisms mounted on the harvester. The bevel gear-wheel H is thus seen to be the power-communicating gear, and the shaft g, although itis not a power-communicating shaft, is a shaft of the main power-communicating wheel.

The purpose of the construction described in respect to the shaft g and the parts supported and journaled thereon is that by screwing said shaft into the bracket K the gear-wheel 11 may be forced into and held in mesh with the gear-wheel N accurately and may be adjusted in mesh as the wheels wear. This facility of adjustment obviates the necessity of such extreme precision in the construction of the frame and bearings as would otherwise be necessary and cheapens the construction accordingly. The malleableiron bracket K, in addition to affording the support for the stubbleward end of the shaft g and for the bearing of the sleeve N of the shaft N, has its Web extended under both the gearwheel H and the gear-pinion N as a protection for said gears from straw or stubble, said webs also very materially stiffening the bracket, and it is thereby rendered so stiff that it very materially aids in stiffening the corner of the frame in which it is located, and thereby preserving the right-angular relation of the bearings of the shaft.

I claim- 1. In combination with the main frame, the drive-wheel crank-axle journaled at its wrists on said frame, the main power-Wheel concentric and rigid with said drive-wheel, the main power-receiving wheel having fixed bearing on the frame at a point removed from the crank-axle wrist-bearin gs, and the chain communicating power from the main power-wheel to the power-receiving Wheel, the lever-arm C rigid with the crank-axle and extending from the crank-Wrist radially with respect to the drive-wheel, a lever fulcrumed on the main frame, a pulley on said lever in position to take up the slack of the chain as the lever is rocked, and a link connecting said lever to the arm' C the pivotal connections of said link being substantially in a plane Which contains the axis of the power-receiving wheel and the crank-wrist axis when the drive wheel axis is also in that plane,substantially as set forth.

wheel having bearings fixed with respect to 7 each other on the main frame, the crank hav- 7 mg the arm C rigid with it, the bellcrank lever 0' c pivoted on the main frame and having the slack-pulley on one of its arms, and the link 0 which connects the other arm to the lever-arm O substantially as set forth.

3. In combination,substantially as set forth,

the frame and the fixed shaft g thereon, the v power-receiving wheel adapted to rotate on said shaft, having clutch-teeth at one end of its hub, the beveled gear-wheel II, also adapted to rotate on said shaft and longitudinally stopped thereon, the clutch-sleeve J, feathered on the hub of said beveled gear-wheel and adapted to engage the clutch-teeth of the power-receiving wheel, and a spring coiled about the said sleeve-hub and stopped at one end thereon and at the other end stopped against the hub of the clutch-sleeve, said sleeve-having a flange J and the shippinglever M, pivoted on the frame and adapted to press against said flange to disengage the clutch by moving the clutch-sleeve against the reaction of the spring.

4. In combination, substantially as set forth, the main frame, the bracket K, rigid therewith, the fixed shaft 9, screwed into said bracket, the power-receiving wheel adapted to rotate on said shaft and having clutchteeth at one end of its hub, the beveled gearwheel H, also adapted to revolve on said shaft, having its sleeve-hub stopped on the shaft at one end and being stopped at the other end by the bracket K, the clutch-sleeve J, feathered on said hub of the beveled gear-wheel and adapted to engage the clutch-teeth of the power-receiving wheel, and a spring stopped at one end on the sleeve-hub and reacting at the other end against the clutch-sleeve, and suitable means for moving the clutch-sleeve endwise to disengage it from the power-reoeiving wheel, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two witnesses, at Springfield, Ohio, this 21st of August, 1891.

ANDREW STARK. WVitnesses:

CHAS. A. BAUER, G. B. GLESSNER. 

